US Department of Transportation

FHWA PlanWorks: Better Planning, Better Projects

US Department of Transportation

FHWA Planworks: Better Planning, Better Projects

LRP-11: Make Conformity Determination

Long Range Transportation Planning

Description:

In nonattainment and maintenance areas for the transportation-related pollutants, FHWA/FTA must make a Federal conformity determination.

There is information developed in prior Key Decisions that informs this step.

Basics:

The first table describes the purpose and anticipated outcome of a Key Decision. If the decision is federally mandated, the purpose and outcome will relate to the legal intent.

The second table describes roles for key partners with legal decision making authority in the transportation process. The roles indicate the influence a partner can have on a decision, and show each partner where their input is most needed. For a full understanding of roles see the Partner Portal.

Purpose

To receive conformity determination from Federal Agencies.

Outcome

Federal conformity determination.

Partner	Role Type	Description
MPO	Observer	Submit conformity determination documents to Federal agencies for review and final decision.
FHWA/FTA	Decision Maker	Make conformity determination.
State DOT	Observer	Observes final conformity determination for LRTP.
Resource Agency	Advisor	USEPA reviews and comments on conformity documents.
Public Transportation Operator(s)	Observer	Observes final conformity determination for LRTP.

Links to Decisions

This table identifies the connection to other Key Decisions. The linkages highlight the importance of collaboration across transportation phases. Practitioners are encouraged to document the basis of the decision and consider information from previous Key Decisions.

Transportation Phases	Key Decision	What is Linked?	Purpose of Linkage
None.

Questions to Consider

Questions are a way to gather input from partners and stakeholders that can be used to inform the decision. Decision makers can discuss the questions provided to ensure a broad array of interests are considered to support a collaborative process. Questions also allow staff to collect stakeholder interests, ensure these are included in the decision, and provide a response based on the decision outcome. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category	Questions to Consider
Long Range Planning	No specific questions
Programming	No specific questions
Corridor Planning	No specific questions
Environmental Review	No specific questions
Bicycles and Pedestrians	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Freight	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Human Environment and Communities	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Land Use	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Linking Planning and Operations	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Performance Measures	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Planning and Environment Linkages	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Private Partnerships	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Safety	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity	Does the plan conform?
Visioning and Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.

Data

The following list of data may be needed to support the Key Decision. Practitioners collect this information for decision makers to consider. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category	Data to Consider
Long Range Planning	LRP-9: MPO adoption of conformity analysis
Programming	PRO-6: Adopted TIP
Corridor Planning	No Specific Data.
Environmental Review	No Specific Data.
Bicycles and Pedestrians	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Freight	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Human Environment and Communities	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Land Use	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Linking Planning and Operations	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Performance Measures	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Planning and Environment Linkages	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Private Partnerships	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Safety	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity	State Implementation Plan (SIP) budget and transportation control measures
Visioning and Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.

Links to Applications

The interaction between transportation decision making and other planning processes will ensure that important values and goals outside the transportation process are recognized and considered. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Application	Description
Bicycles and Pedestrians	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Freight	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Human Environment and Communities	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Land Use	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Linking Planning and Operations	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Performance Measures	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Planning and Environment Linkages	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Private Partnerships	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Safety	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity	Understand the justification for federal conformity determination, and ensure that is reflected in the State Implementation Plan (SIP) and the development of any associated improvement projects.
Visioning and Transportation	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.

Examples

In - depth case studies of successful practices in collaborative decision making were used to develop the Decision Guide.Links in this table point to a specific paragraph or section of a case study that supports a Key Decision. It is not necessary to read through an entire case study to find the example; however, full versions are available in the Library.

PlanWorks Case Study Examples:
None.

Other Examples:
None.